Project description
A microRNA biosensor for stratifying prostate cancer patients
Success in prostate cancer treatment is hampered by inaccurate preoperative staging and the inability of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) to discriminate between different disease subtypes. Therefore, there is an imminent need for new, more accurate prostate cancer biomarkers indicative of disease spreading. The EU-funded INFORM project is focussing on microRNAs for prostate cancer diagnosis in intermediate-risk patients eligible for curative surgery. Researchers will develop an electrochemical multiplex biosensor that can quantify a panel of clinically relevant circulating microRNAs and thus stratify patients accordingly. The generated information will help improve disease management and clinical outcome.
Objective
Radical prostatectomy is currently the most used curative procedure in the treatment of localised prostate cancer (PCa). However, in 30-50% of interventioned patients Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) increases on post-operatory, meaning that the cancer has spread. The rise in PSA is due to imprecision in preoperative staging, suggesting patients already had distant, undetectable disease. Another issue is that elevated serum PSA is not specific to malignant prostate disease, it cannot differentiate between indolent tumours or those that are/will become life threatening.
Fatal cancer is most often due to metastatic disease but histopathological examination of biopsy or traditional imaging methods fail to detect the early disseminated circulating biological information highlighting the need for approaches that can detect biomarkers of cancer spreading at an early stage. Circulating amounts of non-coding microRNA (miRNA) have been shown to have a biological impact and to be clinically associated with cancer and are now seen as a new class of biomarkers that will allow earlier and more accurate diagnosis.
The objective of INFORM is to develop an innovative electrochemical multiplex biosensor for detection and quantification of a panel of clinically relevant circulating miRNAs in intermediate-risk PCa patients that will be submitted to potentially curative surgery. By focusing on the development, optimisation and validation of a biosensor for miRNA profiling in PCa, discrimination of patients with local disease from those with more advanced PCa will be possible.
The biosensor will rely on the selectivity of the sandwich assays and on the sensitivity of the photoelectrochemical detection to quantify, at the sub-fM level, circulating miRNAs that are associated with PCa. The quantification of these overexpressed miRNAs will lead to a better overall management of the disease and allow for a more informed decision by the medical doctor, providing personalised medicine.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology prostate cancer
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors biosensors
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine surgery
- social sciences sociology social issues social inequalities
- medical and health sciences health sciences personalized medicine
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
2000 Antwerpen
Belgium
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.